EP.29 Ogre Subjugation (4)

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With Lorian's party joining the group, the stability of Ogre subjugation increased.

With the increased assurance, Count Lykel appointed a hunter who knew the inside of the forest as the guide.

With a guide in hand, there was no need to delay any longer, so we headed straight for the forest.

Me, Frillite, the eight including Lorian, plus the guide.

A temporary subjugation squad made up of 11 people. Among them, Frillite and the guide were walking at the forefront of the subjugation party.

It was only natural, as the guide had to show the way, while Frillite was questioning him about the surrounding features, just in case something unexpected happened during the real action.

I looked over at Lorian's Party.

In the game, it was a party of 4 people, but now it consists of 8 people.

'I thought a party can have only a maximum of 4 people?'

How did he get to 8?

Did he made two teams side by side?

It's surely different from the game in many ways.

'If that's the case, the first team must be guys who walk proudly in front.'

And the 2nd group is probably the ones following them with slight reservation.

It didn't take much effort to different the 2nd team from the 1st, but seeing that, it seems the party definitely has a hierarchy of some sort with its ups and downs.

For reference, Eri was in the 2nd team. She was walking at the back of the 2nd team.

It seems that her order comes at last.

It was when I was analyzing Lorian's party, the punk came when I thought of him, it was Lorian who came up to me.

It's already strange that he approached, but as soon as he got closer, he also let out a strange tone among his words.

"Cloud, let me give you one piece of advice."

"Um?"

"I don't know how you got close to Frillite. But I recommend you not to get any closer to her."

"What the? Just say things straight, dude, tut."

"…I mean literally. Know your place. You can't and shouldn't get along with her."

"?"

"It would be good for your personal life to not ignore my advice. Again, know your place, Cloud."

Lorian tapped on my shoulders and went back to his party. I pondered for a moment, then walked forward and poked Frillite on the shoulders. After examining the terrain around her, she turned her gaze to me.

"Cloud? Do you have something to say? I'm busy memorizing the surrounding terrain right now."

"Lorian doesn't want me to mingle with you."

"..?"

Frillite tilted her head implying she didn't understand my meaning.

Realizing that I had explained too briefly, I unpacked it so she could understand more clearly.

"That guy told me to cut contact with you. Otherwise, he won't leave me alone, yeah, that punk."

"Cut? Cut contact with me?"

"It means severing our friendship. If I cut contact with you, you and I will no longer be friends."

""

Frillite's expression hardened. Even her steps halted, her red eyes reflected my figure.

"…so what did you say?"

There was a hint of anxiety in the voice that seemed to have been squeezed through. Man, she's even worried about something like this.

I curled up the corners of my lips.

"Of course I told him to piss off. I've been almost drinking and partying freely these days, does he think I'm a fool? I will always be your friend, unless, of course, you declare the end of our friendship first."

It was then that her stiff expression loosened. She looks at me with a happy smile.

Yh? The reaction looked purer than I thought.

I thought that with Frillite's personality, she would pull out her great sword and grab Lorian by the neck.

'It's a little regretful, but I can't help it.'

I have no choice but to ensue plan B.

"Then, now that we have reconfirmed our friendship, should we do some shoulder-sharing?"

"Shoulder sharing? Is that what I think it is?"

"If you imagined putting one's arms on each other's shoulders, you are right."

"Then I'm right. But why to do shoulder-sharing out of nowhere?"

"I just wanted to deepen our friendship a little bit more. If you don't like it, there's nothing I can do about it."

"I don't hate it, but…"

She rolled her eyes and looked around.

I can't feel any strong monster's aura. Even if one appears, Lorian's Party will be enough to hold for a while. There will be plenty of time to release our shoulders and get ready for battle.

Frillite thought about it, then she nodded her head as if feeling convinced in her heart.

"I think it would be nice to bring our friendship closer."

"Great. Then, right away!"

I placed my arm on Frillite's shoulder. Frillite's body trembled. Her hand reaching for my shoulder stopped as well.

"Why stop? Just confidently put your arm around my shoulders. If I'm the only one with my arms around you, how can it be called shoulder sharing?"

"I, I see. Don't rush, wait for me…!"

Frillite's hand began to move slowly again, and she placed it gently on my shoulders, then she coughed lightly to erase her awkwardness.

"…It's more embarrassing than I thought it to be, this shoulder sharing thing. Do all friends usually do this?"

"Indeed, miss. Same-sex friends do."

"Same-sex? Then…"

Frillite's eyes narrowed little by little. I laughed and talked.

"Even if we are friends of opposite sex, don't we go well together?"

"You tricked me…"

"I didn't cheat. After all, we're not just normal friends, are we?"

"Aren't we normal friends?"

A puzzled Frillite asked. I whispered in her ear.

"We are friends who might get married someday."

I looked at her and winked mischievously.

""

Frillite was at a loss for words, so she looked blankly at me, and then broke into suppressed giggles.

"Really, I don't know where your boldness comes from."

"You don't want to share shoulders with me? If you don't like it, just let it go."

"Leave it. What will change if you come and solve what you have already done? Stay like this for as long as you want."

"As long as I want… Then is it okay to stay like this for all day long?"

Frillite replied with an impish smirk.

"Didn't ask, do as much as you want. Just like you got drunk and kept your word, I will also keep my word. Especially if it's something you said to a friend."

"Hey, come on, it was just one big bottle."

I answered with a smile and glanced back to have a spectacle of my work. Not surprisingly, Lorian was staring at me with eyes that could kill.

Woohoo! Chap looks pissed, guess he's gonna move?

It seems like a pretty interesting situation would unfold, but I decided to put up with it.

Because there are too many people watching now.

""

Must try next time.

* * *

After travelling through the forest for all day, the sun was setting, but we were still far from reaching the inner lake.

Now, we couldn't go any further, for the sun was going to set soon.

Moreover it's too dangerous to travel in the forest in dark.

Restricting one's field of vision is a bigger disadvantage than one can think. What if you are unfortunate enough to run into the ogre in such a situation? Just be prepared for complete annihilation.

Therefore, the subjugation squad decided to camp overnight and move again the next morning.

"Hey, light fire."

Quite an overbearing tone, as if beating people with words.

But whoever spoke those words, her status deserved it.

Because she was the first princess of the Kingdom of Carta and the younger sister of Hero Lorian, Lorraine.

She resembled Lorian, with long chestnut brown hair and round orange eyes. She had a cute dimple with a face that was also round and beautiful.

But her personality was not round.

Far from being round, she was villainous.

"…yes."

Eri ignited the firewood pile that she had gathered with magic.

"I'll start cooking."

A man with a large, clunky-looking impression trimmed the ingredients. He placed the well-prepared fresh ingredients into the pot and started cooking.

It didn't take long for a delicious smell to float in the air.

The finished soup was received by Lorian first.

He's a Hero as well as the heir to the throne, so it was natural for him to receive it first.

After Lorian, it was Lorraine.

She is the first princess of the kingdom.

She holds the second strongest power after Lorian, so it was only natural for her to receive it in next order.

Next is Princess Lisbeth.

After that, Princess Marietta.

As the distribution progressed, Eri's turn came at the end. She didn't even had anyone to distribute the soup to her. She had to scoop out the soup by herself and place it into her bowl.

'Still, there's quite a bit left today.'

Most of the times, there was hardly any soup left for her, so she either had to chew on jerky or nibble on hard bread. Sometimes when none of them were present, she had to prepare her meals by herself.

But today, they left quite a bit of soup. Among the other ingredients, there was also meat.

Probably because of the presence of other two Heroes.

Especially since Frillite was also present, it seems that they couldn't show discrimination with food.

Eri felt a little bit joyful in her heart, she was going to eat properly after a long time.

She scooped out about half of the remaining soup and transferred it to her bowl.

She didn't take all of the left over soup even if her turn was the last.

She will get into trouble later when someone wants to eat more. Eri wasn't stupid enough to do what she had already done once.

Eri grabbed her bowl and stood up.

They were just two meters away, eating with their fellow party members, laughing and chatting, but she walked towards the other side.

She sat with her back on a suitable tree and savored her soup slowly.

Her meals were always like this.

It was very hurtful at the start, but once she got used to it, it felt bearable. Just focus on one spoonful at a time.

'The meat is delicious.'

Still, she was able to eat boiled meat today, so she was satisfied.

After finishing her meal, Eri raised her head.

In her eyes, Frillite and Cloud were chatting and enjoying their meals.

Eri saw her past in that scene.

She, Cloud, Neria and Ophelia were on adventures together.

When it was time to eat, Neria gathered firewood needed for bonfire.

Then Eri made a fire and Cloud cooked the food.

Before they ate, they did their prayers at Ophelia's initiative. After the prayer, she inserted her spoon into the meat soup faster than anyone else.

Neria, the knight, was not so keen on meat, but the nun, Ophelia, loved meat just as much.

Sometimes they even quarreled for the last piece of meat.

Cloud just smiled awkwardly when he saw them bickering.

As she recalled her happy past, a faint smile appeared on Eri's face. But only for a while. Her chest soon started to pound and she felt the bitter pain in her heart.

'Why did I do that…'

She had a chance to be happy.

She was living her life with a smile, surrounded by people who recognized and respected her.

If only she hadn't been greedy.

Yes… greed.

She was too greedy.

Honor, recognition, friends, family.

She tried to get them all.

She struggled to get everything with her two hands, but lost even what she had.

'I'm an idiot…'

Until she lost it, she even thought she was a very smart person.

But in reality, she was just a desperate gambler, who only knew how to throw away the things in her hands without any regret in order to get what she desired.

But, like any gambler, she was just a loser who mistook herself for a gambling master.

'I want to go back.'

When she woke up from her sleep, she had to admonish Neria, who sweated buckets because of her morning workout.

After which she woke up the weak Ophelia in the morning on the subject of a faithful nun by shaking her to and fro.

When she went downstairs with everyone, Cloud, who had the meal prepared for everyone, smiled gently at her.

"Water."

What broke Eri's vague thoughts was a short word that didn't even make a sentence. Eri stopped reminiscing on her past and turned her head to the side.

Lorraine's gaze was fixed on her.

"… water, it's in the water bag behind—"

"Hm? I'm sorry, I didn't hear you clearly."

Lorraine smiled at her and tilted her head innocently.

A lie. She obviously heard.

Eri turned her head to the other side.

Cloud and Frillite stopped eating and looked at their side.

Eri understood Lorraine's intentions.

By showing Lorraine ordering Eri, they meant to insult Cloud and Eri, both of them together.

Eri bit her lips tightly.

Normally she would have obeyed, but this time, she didn't want to follow her words even if it meant she would die. She didn't want to show this side of her to Cloud.

"Water is behind…"

It was the moment Eri was about to turn down Lorraine's request again.

"Eri."

A low-pitched voice sliced her words like a blunt knife. Eri's gaze turned to Lorraine's side.

Lorian was looking at her with his distinctively kind smile.

"I am thirsty too. Can you please bring me some water?"

Eri, who was about to disobey Lorraine's words, had no choice but to obey Lorian's. He was the one who usually neglected Eri as if she didn't even exist. Now, he mentioned her. If she ignores it, she may face retaliation later, making her future more hellish.

"…yes"

Eri had no choice but to comply with the request of the royal siblings. She took out a water bag from the bag just 3 meters behind the party members and handed it to Lorian.

"Thanks."

"…mh."

Eri, who handed the water bottle, tried to leave her seat as it was. But Lorian grabbed her wrist.

"Sit next to me."

"Huh? No, I'm fine…"

"Sit down, please."

"…yes."

Eri meekly sat down next to Lorian. Because his voice was plain serious, or more like a threat. As soon as she sat down, he said in a voice low enough to make her feel eerie.

"Eri. This was just a very simple request that can be made between party members, just to bring water, right?"

"..Yes."

"Then why did you refuse? Making people uncomfortable? If Ms. Eri does that, how will other people see us? Haven't you thought about that?"

"I'm sorry."

"From now on, think then act. And, Lorraine?"

"Yes, brother."

"After dinner, you and I should talk to each other, got it?"

"Understood…"

Lorraine bowed her head. At first glance she looked like an obedient little sister, but Eri knew.

Behind that reflection, Lorraine must be grinding her teeth. Later, she may have to face Lorraine's harsh actions.

And as expected, late at night, Eri was called by Lorraine.

Lorraine, who had dragged Eri quite a distance from the campsite, hollered.

"Hey, are you kidding me? I got scolded, and that by my older brother, just because of you! Did I had to be scolded by my brother for a worthless mongrel like you?"

Lorraine knew that Eri was a half noble. So when she insulted her, she used to call her a lowly mongrel [1].

"…"

Eri bit her lips.

She knew from the past experiences that any response would only increase the time for which she would get insulted.

"What? Don't wanna answer? Huh… Don't turn your head around… Hey, look at me, straight. Here."

Perhaps she didn't like how Eri acted, Lorraine grabbed her by hair and pulled her up.

Lorraine asked while making eye contact with Eri.

"What? You don't like seeing me? Normally, when I say something, you follow it, right?"

"…"

"So why? Cloud, meeting that commoner bastard after a long time, does it remind you of the past? Nostalgia came up, uh? Do you think you can go back to that time? Hahaha, when you guys traveled with a silly smile?"

"…"

Strength entered her face to hold back the distortion of her expression.

Noticing that, Lorraine opened her eyes wide as if amused and burst into laughter.

"Wow, really. Could that be real? Ah ha ha ha! Not only are you a lowly but also a crazy mongrel as well. How are you going to do that? My goodness, you even thought about something like that? Don't you remember what you did?"

""

Laughing loud with her hands on her stomach, Lorraine suddenly thought of something and she pushed her face close to Eri. She pressed their foreheads together and she met Eri with her eyes.

"It was declared in the public eye, and not anywhere else, but in the Imperial Social Banquet. You declared that you wanted to get out of Cloud's party and come to my brother's party. After making Cloud, politically, an asshole like that, you nurture thoughts like that?"

"That was you guys..!"

Eri's eyes fluttered aimlessly. Lorraine contorted her eyes finely.

"Yeah, we did. But, what? It was you who said you wanted that. It was you who actually did it, and it was also you who drove the deepest nail into Cloud's chest. Am I wrong?"

No.. it's not….

Eri, she who knew the truth better than anyone else—knew that Lorraine was right. So she couldn't object. She just bowed her head and clenched her tightened fists with more strength.

"Isn't that your humble wish? Becoming a member of the Hero Party that defeats the Demon King and getting the approval of your family. Right?"

"…"

"Yes or no. Answer me."

"…yes."

"Then you have to act nicely, right? Now you don't even have else where to go. Isn't it so?"

Lorraine said as she pressed her finger against Eri's forehead.

"…"

"What? You won't answer to me? Do you want to get kicked out of the party? I'll let you go right away if you want so, Eri."

"…no. I'll do it right. Please forgive me this once."

"Woh… It would have been good if you had acted like that from the start. I'll leave you just this one time. So, do better next time, got it?"

"Yes…"

"Throw away any useless hopes of going back to the past."

"…"

"Answer me."

Lorraine tapped Eri's cheek with the palm of her hand.

Eri gritted her teeth and answered in a broken tone.

"…yes."

"Great! If you are a pet, you should listen carefully to the owner. Hah… I'm sleepy, tsk, wasted my time on you. Just see what trouble I'm having in the middle of the night because of you. Don't dare to do something like that next time. Then I'll be going."

After she finished speaking, Lorraine returned to the camp.

Eri stood there for a while. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and her clenched fists trembled in indignation.

[1] A slang for half-blooded.

You can read fully translated chapters, including the last chapter, for $20.

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